Leg 1 (starting leg), 4.47 miles, rated very difficult.

Leg 1 (starting leg), 4.47 miles, rated very difficult.

The Three Capes Relay starts at the intersection of Bayocean Rd. NW and Bayshore Drive adjacent to Cape Meares Lake. Leg 1 is the 3rd longest leg, but is made famous for its initial climb. Right from the gun, there is a category 3 climb, rising nearly 600 feet with a 6% grade, earning a distict rating of “very difficult. After the initial climb, it retreats mostly back down to sea level, but not without a few more climbs first. This leg has views of both Cape Meares National Wildlife Refuge and Three Arch Rocks National Wildlife Refuge. It passes Cape Meares Lighthouse State Park and finishes in Oceanside, at the corner of Cape Meares Loop Rd. and Netarts Bay Hwy. See map of leg 1 on the right. Use scroll on rt. side of the map to view elevation chart at the bottom. Links to other leg maps below.